Well enough is enough, I’m getting too old for this, and well maybe I’ve done it for way too long. I’m talking about working night shift, you know the graveyard shift.
When the sun sets, night shift Daddy eats dinner with his little girl, reads a story, and tucks her snugly into bed. When the sun rises he comes home and shares. Jun 26, 2013 - Doing night duty alone can feel so isolating that every bit of support helps. Or perhaps the baby cries with dad at night, leaving both of you.
You see I’m now in my mid-30s and now my 2 oldest kids are teenagers and they do things after school like play basketball. Not just them, my youngest daughter is a cheerleader and wants to get into gymnastics also. So, after all those activities I still have to go to work at night. Now with my son starting high school next year that means his basketball games will be even later and more travel, so it’s a possibility I’ll either have to miss the game, which I never have done or I’d have to leave early to be at work.The night shift thing started almost 16 years ago, about because my thinking was, hey I stay up all night and sleep in the daytime anyways, why not work at night. Once I got used to it, everything was great because I had no major bills and still stayed with my parents, it was over a year after I finished high school. Then after a while I meet my future wife and we started going out and the nights weren’t a problem for her, even as our relationship became serious. Fast forward about 3 years later we’re staying together then add a son and daughter to the mix.
So everything was still going great with her working in the daytime and the kids were going to daycare. Then we started noticing that the kids were getting sick a lot and I was spending more time and money with doctor visits because they stayed sick.
![Dad Is On Night Duty Dad Is On Night Duty](https://mensline.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/First-time-dads-header-1600x1067.jpg)
So I decided since she keeps them at night and have to work in the mornings, why shouldn’t I keep them home with me because it’ll save a lot of money over time and I was still only 24 years old. Then my son started elementary school, while my daughter was in pre-k and then we found out she was pregnant with another baby.Now everything is going perfect because my wife goes back to work and my oldest 2 kids were in school and that left me at home when I got off work with the baby.
By that time I’m in my late-20s and you talk about bonding, man my daughter and I were great together. We went shopping all the time and just played together, she was the ultimate daddy’s girl and I heard it all the time because EVERYONE said I spoiled her and they even say it till this day. Now I’m working 12 hours, taking some Business classes online and babysitting all at the same time and it started getting to me. By that time I’m turning 30 years old but in a couple of years she starts going to school and yes I’ll admit, I cried like a baby when she started pre-school. It has gotten tougher every year after that and even more with increased activity at school.Now fast forward to the present day, like I said earlier, now I’m in my mid-30s and I’m just tired now. I desperately need to be on a dayshift job because I can feel normal then and have a normal life. Most importantly, I really want to be at home with my family at night to not only tuck the kids in bed and lay in the bed with my wife every night.
So if you’re working nights or the graveyard shift, do you feel the same was as me? Maybe I’m overreacting but almost 16 years is long enough and I want a regular life.